


Hurricane

by ragingdrumboner (orphan_account)



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Angst, Anxiety, Depression, Foster Care, M/M, alex's bro and dad will show up later, death (mentioned) - Freeform, there will be gay later, yes another foster kid!alex fanfic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-17
Updated: 2016-05-26
Packaged: 2018-06-08 22:28:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,752
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6876499
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/ragingdrumboner
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alex is about to meet his first foster family, and needless to say he is scared and feeling very alone. He has no idea if they will like him or if they're nice. For all he knows, they could be horrible people that will kick him out first chance they get. Even when he does get there, everything seems to be fake and like it will change at any moment. So, all Alex can do is try to deal with his anxiety and hope that maybe things will be okay.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> this is my first multi-chapter fic so im p excited about this. ive been working on this for a few weeks now so i hope its good and that you guys like it!! 
> 
> ________________
> 
> in the eye of the hurricane, there is quiet.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex is about to meet his first foster family, and needless to say he is scared and feeling very alone. He has no idea if they will like him or if they're nice. For all he knows, they could be horrible people that will kick him out first chance they get. Even when he does get there, everything seems to be fake and like it will change at any moment. So, all Alex can do is try to deal with his anxiety and hope that maybe things will be okay.

A mix of apathy and anxiety pulsed through Alex as he peered out the window of the car. He stared blankly at the trees that whooshed by him, blurring into a mix of green and brown. Alex was nervous about his new home, which caused the anxiety, but he was also very tired of being shuffled around, which caused the apathy. It was a rather strange combination, to care a lot but also not care at all at the same time. His hands fidgeted in his lap as the sound of the radio playing quietly washed over him. Mr. Jay, his caseworker, hadn’t really said anything to him since they left the group center a few hours before. It was about a four hour drive from New York to Mount Vernon, Virginia. Alex wished that he could just stay in New York, he liked it better there, but the only family that would take him lived all the way in Virginia, so that’s where he was heading.

“You’ll like them, the Washington’s,” Mr. Jay spoke up, breaking the silence that had lasted for at least two hours. Alex only responded with a look and a quirk of the eyebrow, hoping that Mr. Jay would just keep going. “They’re nice people,” he added, “they’ll be good parents for you.” 

Alex resigned his gaze back to the window as the trees continued to rush by. Would he like them? He shifted in his seat and began to worry his bottom lip. What if they didn’t like him? What if he didn’t fit in in Virginia? What if he messed up? What if...what if… Alex tightened his fists and tried to control his breathing. What if’s made him nervous, he always found himself overthinking everything. His mind was non-stop and sometimes it was unbearable. He frequently found himself in a state of anxiety because his mind would race until he found himself worrying over things that didn’t even make sense. 

“We’ll be there in about an hour.” Mr. Jay piped up, breaking Alex’s anxiety-ridden train of thought. Alex didn’t say anything in reply and instead just gave a nod of acknowledgement before looking out the window again. 

This was Alex’s first home, he had been staying at a group home where other orphaned kids lived until they too found foster families. He had heard so many horror stories. Many kids told him about how their friends were sent off across country and ended up with abusive families and how many of their friends were returned because the families ended up hating them. He still remembered the taunting voice of one of the other kids as he was packing to leave for Virginia.

“Hope they don’t decide to return you, Alex,” the voice had sneered at him, but when Alex turned to look to see who it was, they were gone. 

Alex continued to stare out the window for an unknown amount of time until his eyes began to slide shut, a sudden wave of fatigue washing over him. He dozed for a while until he felt the car come to a halt. When he opened his eyes, he saw a huge expanse of green grass spread in front of him, raising his head to look out the windshield, he spotted a massive white mansion with a very distinct red roof. Alex couldn’t believe it. These were the people who wanted to foster him? Surely there was some sort of mistake, right?

“Well, this is it. Washington Manor.” Mr. Jay spoke up as he turned the car off. He looked over at Alex and gave him a reassuring smile. “You’ll love it here, the Washington’s are very nice people. They have another foster child about your age.” 

Alex didn’t say anything once again as he slowly unbuckled his seatbelt. He waited for Mr. Jay to open his door and get out before following suit. His old shoes hit the ground with a thud, a soft puff of dirt flying up around them. Getting to his feet, his brown eyes searched the grounds even more. There were trees standing tall around the driveway and a huge field at the back of the house; the air was cool and a breeze disturbed his hair ever so slightly. Alex walked slowly to the back of the car where his meager suitcase was, but his eyes never left the enormous landscape. He was still in a state of disbelief as he was handed his belongings, surely he was not supposed to live here. This had to be a joke, a cruel joke.

Mr. Jay beckoned him to the front door, which required the climbing of a few steps to get to. Alex watched the man ring the doorbell, which chimed loudly, and waited anxiously for the door to open. This was it. This is where this was revealed all to be a ruse, something to fool him. He baited his breath as he heard the knob turn and the door slowly creak open.

Stood in the door’s place was a very tall, and very intimidating man. Alex swallowed nervously as he took him in. His skin was a few shades darker than his own and his face looked very regal, despite the lack of hair on his head. He wore a suit that seemed to make his already broad shoulders even more broad. Alex shifted in his place as he looked up at him with wide, almost fearful eyes. This was the man we was going to be living with? 

“Ah, hello John,” the man said, a smile breaking his intimidating face. His brown eyes shifted over to Alex, who was standing at Mr. Jay’s side, “this must be Alexander. Hello, I’m George Washington, pleased to meet you.” He introduced, holding his hand out. Alex blinked and shakily shook his hand, which dwarfed his own.

“Pleased to um, meet you too.” Alex stammered out, still in shock.

A chuckle bubbled up from George as he waved his hand, “come, let’s get you settled in. Martha and Laf are both very excited to meet you.” He told Alex as he lead the pair inside. 

The inside was even more magnificent than the outside. There was a huge foyer that stretched high above them, its walls were white and its furniture was a dark green. Alex stared for a few moments until he realized George and Mr. Jay had started to walk away. He quickly stumbled after them until he was behind them. 

He didn’t really listen to what George and Mr. Jay were talking about, it probably had something to do with his papers, his situation, all stuff he didn’t want to hear about or cared about. They were eventually led into a living room, which, much like the rest of the house, was huge as well. Alex stood uncomfortably on the plush carpet as Mr. Jay and George sat down on the couch. George looked up at Alex and smiled. 

“You can sit down, if you like.” George told him, motioning towards a chair near the couch the two were sitting on.

“Oh, um, alright.” Alex uttered as he moved to the chair and sat down rather uneasily. He shifted in his place as he stared at everything surrounding him. It wasn’t long before he heard footsteps approaching the room they were in. Alex tensed up as he turned to see two people standing in the doorway to the living room. One was a woman, close to George’s age, she had skin slightly darker than George’s and curled, graying hair. The boy next to her was tall and thin, his skin was similar to George’s but his hair was dark with all sorts of curls, though it was held in a ponytail high on his head.

“Martha! Lafayette! Come in,” George spoke up, smiling as the two quickly entered the room. Alex quickly got to his feet as Mr. Jay and George also rose. 

Mr. Jay looked to George and smiled, “well, I suppose I should get going. I’ll be calling at the end of the week to see how things are going.” He told him as he shook his hand a final time. “I’ll be talking to you George,” he added as he began to walk away. As he passed Alex, he planted a hand on his shoulder and offered a warm smile, “good luck, Alexander.” He said before walking out.

“Alexander?” George spoke up, tearing his attention away from the door where Mr. Jay had just left out of. “This is my wife, Martha, and our other foster son, Lafayette.”

Martha smiled and took a step forward, “I hope you’ll be happy with us, we’re very excited to get to know you,” she told him, her voice warm and comforting. Alex, for the first time, cracked a little smile as she shook his hand. 

Though the moment of calm was quickly interrupted as Lafayette rushed up to him. Alex could tell he was practically bursting with excitement as he began to speak in rapid French. _" Je suis tellement excitée de vous rencontrer enfin Alex ! Alors Je te appeler Alex ? Vous allez adorer ici ! Martha et George sont si gentils et nous tous nous entendre très bien ! Vous pouvez rencontrer mes amis aussi! Ils vont adorer ! vous, je ne peux pas attendre - "_

“Lafayette, honey, I don’t think Alexander can understand French.” Martha told him, smiling warmheartedly. 

“No, no, it’s okay!” Alex assured Martha before turning to Lafayette again. _“Il est agréable de vous rencontrer aussi Lafayette ; et oui , vous pouvez me appeler Alex . J'espère aime vivre ici aussi , ainsi que pour répondre à vos amis.”_

“Another French speaker, I see, well, that’ll be good for Laf.” George commented as he wrapped an arm around Martha, watching the two boys. 

“Yes but, for our sake, can we speak in English?” Martha asked, chuckling softly as the two boys looked over at her.

Lafayette blinked and smiled, “ _oui_ , of course.” He said as he switched over from French to English. Alex’s own face burned with a little bit of embarrassment over being asked to speak English instead of French. “If I may ask, Alex, where did you learn French?” Lafayette asked, tilting his head.

“Oh, my mother taught it to me back on…” he trailed off, not really wanting to say where he was from for the fear of being asked of his past. Alex shifted uncomfortably, hoping someone would say something so he wouldn’t have to.

“Ah! I see! Well, I’m very glad to have someone to speak French with around here. I haven’t had anyone to do that with since I moved here.” Lafayette told him before looking back to George and Martha. “Is it alright if I show him his room and all that stuff?” He asked.

“Of course, dinner will be ready in about an hour,” Martha informed them before Lafayette whisked Alex away.

Alex blinked as Lafayette pulled him up stairs, his eyes were wide as everything rushed by him. Where in God’s name were they going? He wondered briefly as they reached the top of the stairs. A hall stretched on either side of them, each hall filled with doors and rooms. Lafayette brought him down the hall on their right and stopped at the third door down. “This is your room, though if you don’t like it there are others to pick from.” Lafayette told him as he opened the door.

The room that stood before them was bigger than any room Alex ever had before in his life. His room in their apartment on Nevis was barely big enough for a bed and a dresser, and the room he had in the group home was shared by six other boys. “Wait, this is my room?” Alex asked, frowning in disbelief.

“ _Oui!_ But, like I said, if you don’t like it, we can pick another one for you.” Lafayette reminded him as they stepped inside.

“No, no this will do just fine.” He told him, offering him a reassuring smile. The bed was a queen size with silver floral linens. The walls themselves were a soft green and the floors were a plush, darker green carpet. He stood in the center of the room until he was drawn to the desk that sat in front of a large bay window. Walking over to it, he ran his hand across the dark oak before looking out the window. From here, he had a perfect view of the gardens that stretched out behind the house. Maybe he would like it here. Things seemed to be good so far, though it didn’t take much for things to change.

“Martha said that tomorrow, we can go shopping and get you stuff for your room and some new clothes if you like.” Lafayette told him, standing by the bed.Alex didn’t say anything but instead just nodded as he moved back to where Lafayette was standing. The taller boy smiled as he put Alex’s suitcase on the bed, “I grabbed this before we left the living room,” he told him before taking a step back. “I’ll let you settle in, see you at dinner!” Lafayette exclaimed before stepping out, leaving Alex alone in his new room.

Alex nodded and looked around the room once again before walking over to the window again. Maybe things would be okay for once. He looked out at the green fields that stretched out as far as the eye could see. A smile cracked his face again as he continued to look out the window. For once in his life, he actually felt safe and like things were finally looking up.

For now, at least.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> french translations for those who want to know!
> 
> Je suis tellement excitée de vous rencontrer enfin Alex ! Alors Je te appeler Alex ? Vous allez adorer ici ! Martha et George sont si gentils et nous tous nous entendre très bien ! Vous pouvez rencontrer mes amis aussi! Ils vont adorer ! vous, je ne peux pas attendre - "
> 
> translation -  
> I am so excited to finally meet you Alex ! CAn I call you Alex ? You 'll love it here ! Martha and George are so nice and we all get along very well ! You can meet my friends too! They will love you, I can not wait - "
> 
> Il est agréable de vous rencontrer aussi Lafayette ; et oui , vous pouvez me appeler Alex . J'espère aime vivre ici aussi , ainsi que pour répondre à vos amis.”
> 
> translation - It's nice to meet you too Lafayette ; and yes, you can call me Alex . I hope like living here as well as to meet your friends. "
> 
> ill try to update every week!


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex eats some food, has some anxiety and goes shopping.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i wrote my way out of hell
> 
> ____________________________
> 
> im actually pretty excited about this chapter, i wrote most of it in a day but im really pleased with it!

By the time Alex unpacked his suitcase, Martha was calling both him and Lafayette for dinner. He slowly stepped out of the room and looked around, trying to remember the way he and Lafayette had came. Alex bit his lip as he went down the hall, this place was so big, how was he ever going to find his way around? He managed to find his way to the stairs and go down, but from there he was lost. He knew where the living room was but he had no idea where to go from there. He wandered around aimlessly, looking into room and down halls. He could feel his anxiety heightening as he walked. What if he stumbled into something he shouldn’t and got in trouble? What if they got mad at him for keeping them waiting? What if…

“Alex? Are you alright, _mon ami?_ ” A heavily accented voice interrupted. Alex whipped around and blinked when he saw Lafayette standing there with a worried expression.

“Um, yeah, I’m okay…” he trailed off, shuffling his feet abashedly.

“Did you get lost?” Lafayette asked.

“N-no!” He paused, “...yes.” Alex admitted, feeling the heat rising to his cheeks. How stupid, getting lost in a house. Surely Lafayette thought he was an idiot, surely Lafayette wouldn’t want to introduce him to his friends now because who would want to be seen with such an idiot.

An amused smile crossed Lafayette’s face as his worry melted away, “ah, mon ami, I should have shown you down to the dining room. My mistake.” He walked over and guided Alex down the hall to where the dining room was. “If it makes you feel any better, I got lost many times my first week here.” He admitted.

Alex didn’t respond but gave him a small, half smile as they entered the dining room. His heart sank a little bit when he saw both Martha and George sitting there, waiting. He bit his lip, so he had kept them waiting. This was it. This is where the beratement would begin. At the group home, if you were late for dinner, you were scolded heavily and publicly and not allowed to eat until after everyone else had. Surely the Washington’s would do the same. Sure, they seemed nice but it didn’t take much for a person to snap.

“There you are, we were worried,” Martha remarked, her voice relieved. “We were afraid something had happened.”

“He’s alright, he just got lost is all.” Lafayette told him with a friendly little nudge to Alex’s shoulder. Alex just gave an embarrassed nod as he followed Lafayette over to the table and sat down stiffly next to him. He stared at the food on the table, he felt his stomach growl but he didn’t feel all that hungry. Picking up his fork, Alex managed to take a few bites of his food before losing his appetite all together. He hoped that no one would notice that he was just pushing his food around now while everyone was talking over him.

“Alex? Is something wrong, honey?” Martha’s voice piped up. Alex suddenly realized that all three of them had been staring at him. “Do you not like the food? Because I can get you something else if you like.”

“N-no! No, no, the food is great...I’m okay, really.” He assured him, though unbeknownst to them his anxiety was eating him raw from the inside. Normally he was able to pinpoint the cause of his feelings of nervousness, but right now, he couldn’t and that almost made him even more anxious. “I’m just...not really hungry is all.” He admitted quietly.

“Well that’s alright. I’ll wrap it up for you if you want to eat it later.” Martha told him, smiling all the while. It didn’t make sense. Why was she being so nice to him? Why were they all being so nice to him? How long until things changed? Why couldn’t they just hurry up and stop the fake-niceness like everyone else had shortly after they met him?

Alex muttered his thanks as Martha came by to pick up everyone’s plates, he shifted in his seat before asking politely, “may I be excused?”

George nodded as Martha walked out of the room, “of course. You’ve had a long day, you must be tired. Tomorrow, Martha would like to take you and Laf shopping if that is alright with you,” George informed him.

“Yeah, that’s fine. Thank you…” Alex quietly replied before quickly getting up and hastily walking out, giving a half-hearted ‘goodnight’ as he went.

Lafayette looked to George and Martha as she re-entered the room, a frown and a look of worry tugging at his features. “I know it’s kind of freaky being in a new place but…” Lafayette began, trailing off.

“Just give him time, it’ll take a while for him to settle in.” George reminded them as he looked to the seat where Alexander had just been sitting.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Alex managed to find his way back to his room more easily this time. He quickly got inside and locked the door, praying that no one would come and bother him. Alex leaned against the door for a few moments before sliding down to the floor. Bringing his knees up under his chin, his eyes bore into the green carpet underneath him. 

Nothing here made sense. Lafayette and the Washington’s were far too nice, everything was calm and clean and no one was prying into his business. It felt so...so wrong. Even back in Nevis, he had his older brother hovering over him no matter what he did. Sure, mom left him to his own devices when he needed, but James, James was always up in his shit. James was nineteen when mom died. James didn’t have to be shipped off to America like Alex did. James didn’t take Alex, he couldn’t afford to; and truthfully, Alex believed that he didn’t want to. James and Alex never got along very well. James was the sporty one, the rougher one, he was always in trouble and always teased Alex for just about everything he did. He ran their mother ragged and Alex always hated it. Alex wasn’t sure if he really missed his brother, though a letter or some sort of contact would be nice, it’d be something to remind him of home.

Alex clenched his fists as he felt tears building. Home. What home? His home was destroyed by that blasted hurricane. His home was destroyed when his mother died just before the hurricane. Nevis meant nothing to him now. Alex was alone. He would always be alone. No matter where he went, who he met, he would always be alone. 

Suddenly, Alex jolted up from his spot on the floor, flicked on a light and rushed over to the desk on the other end of the room. His notebook and pen were already sitting where he placed them earlier. Sitting down, Alex cracked open his old, leather bound notebook and began to write. He wasn’t writing anything in particular, just anything that came to mind. Feelings about his mother, about his brother, about his new family, anything. His handwriting was shaky but soon it was scrawled across two pages. It wasn’t until Alex’s hand sent him a sharp, cramping pain to tell him to stop that he stopped. Sitting up, Alex cracked his back and looked around. The sun had completely set now and all that was illuminating his room was the lamp by his bedside. 

Alex could feel sleep tugging at his eyes, he reached up and rubbed at them with his palm as he sloppily pushed himself away from his desk. He walked slowly over to the bed and collapsed on top of it. Why was he so tired all of a sudden? Rubbing his eyes again, he curled up on the bed, too tired to even try taking off the clothes he was wearing. He should probably change his clothes. But the bed was so soft. He should probably get up and keep writing. But the bed was so soft. Before Alex knew it, he was fast asleep on the plush surface.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Alex was rudely awoken by sunlight filtering through his window and assaulting his eyes. Squinting, Alex sat up and rubbed at his still sleepy eyes. He blinked a few times before his eyes adjusted and the sleep was gone from his senses. Faintly, Alex could smell the smells of breakfast cooking. His stomach seemed to smell it too as right on cue, it gave a loud growl. Sighing, Alex dragged himself out of bed and changed his clothes. He hadn’t brought a lot of clothes as most of them had been lost or destroyed in the hurricane. All he had now was two pairs of tattered jeans and a few old, hand-me-down shirts. 

Unlocking and pushing the door open, Alex quietly crept downstairs. He had no idea who else was awake aside from Martha, and he didn’t want to risk waking anyone in case they were asleep. He slowly and quietly found his way to the kitchen, which was adjacent to the dining room, and poked his head up. There, he found Martha moving about the kitchen, humming quietly to herself as she cooked breakfast. It didn’t take long for her to notice the small teen poking his head in from the dining room.

“Good morning, Alex,” Martha greeted as she moved about the kitchen, stopping to give the teen a soft, friendly smile.

“Good morning, Mrs. Wash-” Alex began before being cut off.

“Please, call me Martha, it’s alright.” She assured him.

“Right...Martha…” he repeated, trying to get used to the feeling of her name on his tongue. It’d feel weird to call both her and George by their first names, he knew it’d take a while for him to get used to it.

“Are you hungry?” Martha asked him as she began to serve up the warm food onto pre-prepared plates that were sitting on the island in the center of the large kitchen.

Alex nodded as he sat himself at the stool on the opposite side of the island. He carefully picked up a fork as he began to eat the eggs and hashbrowns Martha had prepared. “Where are…?” He began, not finishing his sentence as he began to eat.

“George and Laf? They’ll be along in a moment, they were in the entertainment room,” Martha informed him. Just at that moment, George and Lafayette walked into the kitchen, both dressed in casual wear. Alex couldn’t help but feel a little embarrassed as even their casual wear was far nicer than anything he’d ever owned or wore.

Lafayette plopped down in the stool next to Alex and gave him a bright and excited grin. “Good morning, _mon ami_ ,” he greeted as he reached for the plate full of breakfast on the other side of the island, pulling it towards him.

“Good morning,” Alex responded, swallowing his mouthful of food. The plate was nearly empty, but Alex could still feel hunger gnawing at his stomach. He debated for a moment whether he should ask for more before George’s voice broke the silence.

“Are you ready to go shopping with Martha and Laf today, Alex?” The older man asked, looking up from his breakfast to observe the quiet boy sitting at the end of the island. Alex didn’t say anything but nodded instead, he didn’t want to sound to eager after all for fear of sounding greedy or selfish. 

Martha, who had just finished her own breakfast, smiled and began to collect dishes, “I’m glad, we’ll go shortly after I finish cleaning up. Why don’t you two boys get ready?” She suggested as she began to place the dishes in the sink.

Lafayette grinned as he slipped down from the stool and waited for Alex to follow suit, “come along, _mon ami_ , let’s go get ready.”

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Before Alex knew it, he was sitting in the backseat of the Washington’s rather nice car, or at least one of them. He stared out the window at the rain that dripped down from the sky and slid over the glass. He listened to Lafayette and Martha chatter away up front as he continued to stare, watching everything go by. He couldn’t remember the last time we went shopping. When he was fourteen maybe? Yeah. That sounded right, that’s when he got the jeans and shoes he was wearing. Mom had gotten a good amount of tips from the bar she worked at and decided to treat him and James. James got a nice jacket. That was three years ago, though it seemed like yesterday.

Alex had no idea what stores were like in America, sure, he had been in a few Wal-Mart’s here and there since his arrival, but never a store just for clothes. Were they anything like the ones at home? Alex shook his head. Yes, of course they were, stupid, they’re all the same. A sigh escaped him as he settled back into the leather of the car and rested his forehead against the comfortingly cool window pane.

“We’re almost there,” Martha announced as they began to enter the city. Buildings and cars began to multiply before Alex’s eyes, it wasn’t as busy as New York was but, it was still enough to make one a little dizzy. “Alex, I want you to remember that whatever you want, we will get it, alright?”

“Um, okay,” he replied, frowning. Wait, _what?_ Anything? Surely she was kidding, right? He had never, ever heard that in his life. Anything he wanted? But what if he didn’t want anything? Would she get upset with him? Alex shuffled in his seat as his thoughts began to delve deeper into this subject. There had to be a limit. What if he crossed that limit? What if he crossed that limit and they got so mad that they didn’t let him get anything? What if they got so mad that they sent him back? Alex could feel his breath shortening and his heartbeat quickening. No, no, no. Not here, not now. He couldn’t have a panic attack now. They couldn’t know about his anxiety. They’d think he was weird. They’d try to get him on all sorts of meds and therapy that he didn’t want, he’d seen it before, he didn’t want to go down that road.

Alex swallowed some deep breaths, trying to calm his trembling hands and thrumming heart. He stared out the window, trying to focus on a single water droplet. He watched it glide down the glass slowly and smoothly. Eventually, his anxiety released its grip on him and he could feel his breath and heart returning to normal. 

It was at that time that the car pulled into the parking lot of a shopping mall. Alex’s eyes grew wide as he saw the towering building. He had never been to a shopping mall before. Only stand-alone department stores and the like. As the car ground to a halt and Lafayette and Martha began to exit, Alex quickly unbuckled his seatbelt and jumped out after them. He rushed to catch up behind them until he was walking closely behind.

“Now, we need to get Alex some new clothes and supplies for school, as well as a phone and laptop.” Martha told both Lafayette and Alex, “and Laf, it wouldn’t hurt to get you some new clothes as well now that summer is coming around.”

Lafayette smirked, _”oui_ , I agree wholeheartedly,” he declared as they walked. Lafayette, even now, was very well dressed. It was clear that Lafayette had an excellent sense of fashion, especially compared to other boys their age.

The trio entered the first store and already, Alex was lost in all the clothing. He had no idea what looked good or what he liked. He always wore the same torn up jeans and hand-me-down shirts. Lafayette leaned down to the smaller boy and smiled, “you look a little lost, _mon ami_ ,” he observed. 

“I’ve never been clothes shopping like this before, I don’t even know what to look at, let alone get.” Alex admitted, heat rising to his cheeks. 

“Don’t worry, Laf is here to help,” he assured his newfound friend as he lead him over to the young men’s section. 

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_- 

Hours later, Alex had been equipped with a full, new wardrobe, some stuff for his room, such as a comforter and various decorations, a new laptop and a new iPhone. He never had a phone or a laptop back on Nevis, sometimes his mom would let him use her shitty old flip-phone to talk to his friend, but it was rare. Alex smoothed his hand over the sleek exterior as he sat in the back of the car again. He had already began to set it up and customize it for himself. He was so preoccupied with the new device that he didn’t even realize that they had reached the house already. Looking up, Alex was a little bemused to see the mansion approaching them. 

Lafayette and Martha helped him carry in his new items inside, bringing them to his room. Alex nodded appreciatively at Martha before turning to Lafayette. “Um, Laf? Would you mind helping me put all this stuff away?” He asked, hoping it wasn’t weird or too much of a request. 

_”Non!_ I don’t mind at all!” He told him as he began to unpack the bags. Piece by piece, they put everything away and put all the new decorations in the place. Alex carefully set his new laptop on his desk next to his notebook. Running a hand over the weathered old cover, Alex could feel memories rushing back of when he acquired the notebook. It was a fifteenth birthday gift, his mother saved up for months to get it for him. So many pages were filled with writings, each subject different from the next. 

“I like your notebook,” Lafayette complimented as he approached Alex’s desk, looking over the old book. “Nice and vintage,” he observed with a small smile. 

“Thanks, I got it for my fifteenth birthday,” he told him. Alex didn’t want to reveal anything about his mother just yet. It was too early. He didn’t know who Lafayette would be when they got to school tomorrow, and until he knew, he didn’t want to give away any secrets. 

“It’s very nice,” Lafayette complimented again, “hey, do you want to go down to the entertainment room with me? You haven’t seen it yet and in my opinion, it’s the best room in the house.” Lafayette told him with a lopsided grin plastered on his face. 

Alex blinked and nodded, “sure.” 

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_- 

Lafayette was right. The entertainment room _was_ the best room in the house. There was a huge TV opposite of the couch, complete with just about every game system that was ever on the market. He had no idea that George Washington, of all people, would have such an extensive video game collection. 

“Pretty wild, right?” Lafayette asked, chuckling at Alex’s amazement. 

“Definitely.” Alex concurred as they moved over to the couch. Alex never got to play video games on Nevis, none of his friends could afford to have any sort of console. He looked at all the colorful cases, mesmerized. 

“Wanna watch TV, or something?” Lafayette asked, reaching for the remote. Alex just nodded as Lafayette flipped through the channels, rambling about each one or specific shows that popped up. Alex didn’t listen too intently until a harsh fanfare interrupted Lafayette’s babbling. The fanfare was followed by some singing, something about ‘do you hear the people sing’, Alex was too startled by it to really focus on it. 

He watched as Lafayette snatched up his own phone and check it, a smile crossing his face. “Ah, it’s John and Herc, they’re asking to hang out. Want to go?” He asked, looking over at the smaller boy. 

“Like, right now? Alex inquired, finding it odd that they were just asking to hang out just like that. Back on Nevis, he’d have to ask his mother days in advance. 

"Sure, I’m sure Martha and George will be fine with us taking the car as long as we ask.” Lafayette told him as he stood and turned off the TV. Alex quickly got to his feet and began to trail after Lafayette. So this was it, the moment of truth. 

He was finally going to meet Lafayette’s friends. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> time to meet the revolutionary crew! (and yes, there will be gay next chapter)
> 
> ill hopefully be able to update within the next few days!
> 
> and yes, laf's ringtone is absolutely 'do you hear the people sing' from les mis
> 
> also i dont know why the last chapter end notes are posting here, just ignore them


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex meets the Revolutionary Crew and has some very intense feelings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> look into your eyes and the sky's the limit, im helpless!
> 
> _____________________________
> 
> its time for the gay (cue the fluff)

Alex sat nervously in the passenger seat of the car as Lafayette talked endlessly next to him. Martha and George gave them permission to go to hang out with Lafayette’s friends and Alex was absolutely petrified. What if they thought he was weird? What if they didn’t like him? What if…

“Herc and John are gonna love you,” Lafayette told him, looking over at the smaller teen for a moment before returning his eyes to the road. Alex blinked and looked up, frowning slightly. Lafayette was just being optimistic. Alex knew better than to be blindly optimistic like that. Every time he tried to look on the ‘bright side’ of things, everything always failed. He had given up on ‘bright sides’ and ‘silver linings’ a long, long time ago. 

“Ah, here we are!” Lafayette declared as they pulled into a driveway that lead to a small house, well, small compared to the Washington’s. In reality it was actually of average size, and fairly nice. Alex sucked in a breath and unbuckled his seatbelt, mentally prepping himself to meet Lafayette’s friends. It would be fine. Lafayette was there. He liked Lafayette. If anything he could ask Lafayette to take him home.

Lafayette smiled at Alex before hopping out of the driver's seat; he waited at the front of the car for Alex to make his way over before the two went to the front door. Lafayette rapped his knuckles briskly on the door and within seconds, the door opened. In its place was a hulking boy about their age, his skin was dark and his hair shaved short. He wore a bandana and looked absolutely intimidating. He looked at the two of them for a few seconds before a smile broke out across his face.

“Laf! You’re here!” He boomed before his gaze turned to Alex, “and you brought Alex! Sweet I’m Hercules, by the way,” he told Alex as he lead the two inside. Did he already know who he was? How? Did Lafayette, tell them about him? Alex followed the two boys in, dumbfounded.

The three entered Hercules’ living room where another boy was sprawled on the couch. Alex’s eyes immediately took to him and were amazed by what they saw. Alex always knew he was bisexual, but he never really understood it until he saw this boy. His hair was medium length with a plethora of curls all tied up in a ponytail. Though it was his eyes and ridiculous amount of freckles that was what really caught Alex’s attention. His eyes were a deep, captivating brown and his freckles littered his face like stars. Each one unique and perfect in his own way.

“Ay! John! Laf and Alex are here!” Hercules called out to the boy, John apparently, laying on the couch. With a charming smile, the young man sat up and cracked his back, waving to the two standing on the other side of the room.

“Hey guys, what’s up?” He asked, leaning back on the couch again with his arms stretched out wide. Alex was too dumbfounded by him to respond, he could only hope that he wasn’t staring too much.

Lafayette walked over to the couch and plopped down on the other side of it before responding to John’s question. “Ah, nothin’ much, I’ve pretty much kept you guys up to date on everything,” he admitted to them before leaning back.

Alex shifted on his feet as Hercules sat down in the chair next to the couch. Should he sit down too? The only spot left to sit in was next to John. His heart leapt at the thought. He would nothing more than to cuddle up close to him, but John probably wouldn’t be down for that. John was probably straight. John would think he was weird. Alex swallowed nervously as he debated what to do.

“You can sit down, Alex,” Hercules told him, motioning over to the couch. Alex blinked and nodded before taking a seat next to John. He sat rather stiffly. Okay. You can do this. Just, don’t be weird.

Alex vaguely listened as Lafayette and Hercules talked, they were trying to figure out what to watch or do but Alex didn’t really care. Alex stared straight ahead until John’s voice broke the silence in his head. “So, Alex, how are you enjoying Virginia so far?” He asked, looking over at the smaller teen next to him.

“Um, it’s nice,” he replied, fidgeting his hands in his lap. Nice? Nice?! Alex was so good with words and all he could say was ‘it’s nice’?! John was going to think he was an idiot and he’d never want to talk to him again let alone date him, not that it mattered anyway considering John was probably straight and already had a girlfriend.

John’s voice once again interrupting Alex’s prattling mind, “oh yeah? Where did you live before you moved here?” 

“Um, well I lived in New York for a few months, and before that I lived on an island called Nevis in the Caribbean,” he explained. Alex was honestly surprised at himself, he hadn’t even told George or Martha, or Lafayette for that matter, where he actually came from. But something about John just made Alex trust him immediately. Maybe it was his deep, warm eyes, or his friendly face that was littered with freckles. Well, whatever it was, Alex didn’t want it to go away.

“Wow, the Caribbean? That’s really cool. I lived in South Carolina until last year, my dad moved us up here to get closer to his work,” he told him. 

“What’s South Carolina like?” Alex asked, wanting to hear more about John so he wouldn’t have to share about himself. Not to mention, he liked listening to John and just wanted to hear him talk more.

“It’s alright, I like Virginia a little bit more. The people aren’t _as_ bigoted here as they were there. Though unfortunately, I still have my dad to remind me of all the intolerance I’m missing back there!” He joked, though there was a hint of annoyance in his voice. Alex debated over whether he should ask what he meant for a few moments but was interrupted by Hercules loud exclamation. 

“Laf, you don’t know what you’re talking about! Spy Kids is an amazing movie!” He bellowed, sounding absolutely exasperated with his friend, though humor flowed through his voice as he spoke.

“Hercules, oh my God, you don’t know good cinema when you see it!” Lafayette retorted, throwing his head back and clasping his hands to his face. Alex and John glanced at each other and chuckled, a real, genuine smile crossing his face as the two shared the moment.

“Does this happen often?” Alex asked, half-listening to the very heated argument.

“Often enough,” John responded before quickly speaking up to intervene in the debate, “guys! Let’s just put on Turn or something, I need to see Simcoe get his ass kicked or something before you two drive us mad.”

Alex felt his heart flutter when John said ‘us’ and he could feel a little bit of a blush rising to his cheeks, though it was thankfully unnoticeable. He watched as Lafayette and Hercules both relaxed then reach for the remote to turn on Netflix. Alex leaned back against the couch; he tried to sit as close to John as he could without seeming to be too weird. Though it wasn’t nearly close enough for his taste. 

So far, in everything he’d done since he came to America, he had been anxious; but now with John, he didn’t feel any anxiety. He felt relaxed and calm. He had only known John for less than half an hour, but already he was head over heels. Alex never imagined himself feeling this way about anybody, especially after his mother died. Once that happened, Alex never imagined living past twenty, and while he was only seventeen, he could once again see himself living again. Alex’s gaze flicked over to John, studying him as his mind raced. John gave him hope, something he hadn’t had for a long time. Even in their brief conversation, Alex could feel the light and warmth radiating off of John. It was something Alex never wanted to go away, and he was going to make sure that it never did go away.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Alex opened his eyes about an hour later and bolted up, when did he fall asleep?! He didn’t remember falling asleep at all! He looked at the TV and saw a man in a continental uniform having an intimate conversation with a bearded man, though his attention was quickly diverted at the sound of more shuffling. He looked around only to see that the other three boys had dozed off as well. Alex turned to look at John and felt his heart leap again, he looked just as beautiful asleep too. He studied him for a few moments before he heard Lafayette stirring at the other end of the couch. 

“What time is it?” The French teen asked, picking up his phone to check the time. He squinted at the brightness of his phone, struggling to read the too bright numbers. “ _Merde_ , it’s nine, we need to get going Alex,” Lafayette told him, stretching his back before standing up.

Alex nodded silently, standing as well. Though in his rising from the couch, he disturbed the dozing John next to him. Alex’s eyes got wide as the other boy slowly opened his eyes. “Oh, um, I’m sorry I didn’t mean to wake you,” he muttered, mortified for having interrupted his nap.

“Hm? Oh, no, no, it’s alright,” he assured him as he looked at the standing pair, “are you guys leaving?”

Lafayette nodded, “it’s a half an hour drive home and Martha said to be home by ten,” he explained as he snatched the car keys up off of the end table. 

“Yeah, well, I’ll see the two of you at school tomorrow,” John replied, “oh and Alex, it was really nice to meet you.” John smiled and stood, walking over to the boy. Alex felt a smile return to his face as he nodded.

“It was really nice to meet you, too,” he agreed. He observed John for a few moments longer, wanting to take in every feature one last time, or at least before tomorrow. He didn’t want to forget this first meeting, and he hoped he never would.

“Do you have a phone?” John’s voice broke through, stopping Alex’s racing mind in its tracks.

“What? Oh, oh yeah I do, um hold on,” he stammered as he scrabbled for the phone in his back pocket. He quickly gave John his number and pocketed the device once again. His heart was beating hard again. Was John going to text him? John actually liked Alex enough to want to text him? Alex could scarcely believe it, someone wanted to talk to _him_.

“Awesome,” John beamed, “I’ll see ya tomorrow,” he assured him as the two left. Alex looked over at Hercules, wondering if they were going to say going say goodbye to him too, but by the way the boy was snoring loudly, he figured it was more trouble to wake him up than it was worth.

Alex and Lafayette silently left the house and made their way back to the car, climbing in. Alex leaned back against the seat for a minute and tried to control his hammering heart as Lafayette started up the car. Though they didn’t move right away, which made Alex open his eyes and give a quizzical look to Lafayette. He was even more confused to find the other teen smirking wickedly.

“You’re head over heels for Laurens,” he told him, his voice smug and knowing.

“Wh-what?! N-no, I-”

“Oh, come _on_ , it’s totally obvious,” he paused, “well, if you know what to look for it is,” he added. “Don’t worry though, _mon ami_ , your secret is safe with me.” Lafayette told him with a smirk as he began to put the car into motion.

“Thanks, but,” Alex shuffled and looked down, “I doubt that John would actually be interested, I mean, even if he did like boys, I doubt he’d like me,” Alex admitted. As much as Alex hoped that John would like him, Alex just couldn’t see it happening. John was so cool and collected while Alex was a hopeless mess. 

Alex was startled out of his moment of self pity when he heard Lafayette scoff, “Alex, John Laurens is one of the gayest people I know, and that’s compared to my pansexual ass,” he told him. Alex blinked for a few seconds, taking in what Lafayette had just told him. John Laurens was gay? No way. That couldn’t be true. Lafayette was just messing with him.

“He’s gay?” Alex repeated, disbelief flowing heavy through his voice. Did he really have a chance with him? He asked for his number after all. But for all Alex knew that could have just been a friendly gesture. Maybe he did that with every person he met. 

“Yep, John Laurens is gay, but don’t go around spreading that, his dad doesn’t know and would kill him if he found out.” Lafayette warned him, his tone quickly growing serious. Alex nodded, the last thing Alex wanted was for John to be killed by his father. “But that aside, I think John likes you too, though he may be a little apprehensive, his last relationship did not go over well. But I’ll leave that for him to tell you. In the meantime, if you want, I can help you talk to him some more, if you know what I mean,” Lafayette told him, nudging him a little bit with his hand.

“That’d um, that’d be great. Thanks Laf,” Alex replied, relaxing against the seat once again. Maybe with Lafayette’s help, he’d actually have a chance with John. He sure hoped so.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Alex tossed and turned in his bed, sighing in frustration. Why couldn’t he sleep? Shortly after they got home, Alex bid goodnight to Lafayette and the Washington’s before going up to bed. He played with his phone and wrote for a little bit before crawling into bed. He was exhausted at the time but now his mind would not stop. Thoughts filled and swirled around in his mind, thoughts about today, about tomorrow, about everything he had encountered. Frankly, it was getting annoying and was even bringing on Alex’s anxiety. His buzzing mind made his hands shake and his heart beat quick, he continued to toss and turn, hoping to be able to sleep soon.

A loud buzz sounded on his bedside table and Alex flipped over to grab at his phone. He squinted at the bright screen, waiting for it to adjust so he could see what the screen said. His heart gave a particularly hard _thump_ when he saw the notification.

 **John Laurens - Text Message**  
Alex gaped at the notification for a few seconds before quickly opening it. John was texting him! He couldn’t believe it! He didn’t even care that it was nearing one in the morning, he was just excited to be talking with him.

**John: hey, i had a really awesome time with you today**

Biting his lip, Alex could feel the pressure descend upon him. Okay, don’t mess this up. It was just texting, how hard could it be?

**Alex: I had an awesome time with you today too. Youre really cool**

Yeah, yeah, that sounded good. Not too weird, or creepy. Or at least, he hoped it wasn’t.

**John: thanks! youre really cool too. hey i was wondering, do you wanna hang out after school or something tomorrow? i wanna get to know you better without hercules and laf being loud lol**

His eyes got huge as he finished reading the message. Him and John, just the two of them? Alex swallowed and could feel a giddy grin explode across his face as he quickly typed back.

**Alex: Id love to!**

Alex baited his breath, waiting anxiously for John to respond. What if he changed his mind? What if he was joking? What if-

**John: sweet, ill meet you after school then tomorrow, night!**

Flopping against the bed, Alex typed out his own goodnight before putting his phone back down. Wow. Did that really just happen? John Laurens just asked him to hang out tomorrow. He barely knew him but he wanted to hang out with him! Alex pressed his hands against his face as butterflies flew in hurried patterns in his stomach. He had never felt this excited for anything. 

Maybe tomorrow wouldn’t be so bad, all he had to do was survive against the hell that was high school. But right now, not even that scared Alex. In fact, nothing scared him for all he could think about was the fact that he was going to get to spend the afternoon with John. Something he prayed for the moment he saw him. What would Lafayette say? Would he be excited? Alex sure hoped he would be, though Alex was a little nervous that Lafayette wasn’t going to be there to help him out. Though maybe he could ask for his advice before school ended.

Alex curled up under the blankets again before reaching out to grab his phone again. He reread the conversation over and over, taking in every one of John’s texts. John liked him, John was interested in getting to know him better. John wanted to hang out with _him_. It seemed so surreal. He was just some bastard, orphan, weird kid from the Caribbean and this amazing, beautiful boy wanted to be friends with him. Alex felt his heart flit as he thought about it again. He had never felt like this before. It was so foreign to feel this overjoyed. 

His excitement continued to run rampant through him until he felt sleep tugging at his eyelids again. His fearful thoughts had been replaced with thoughts of elation and anticipation for the day to come. For once, Alex couldn’t wait for the next day to arrive. For once, he actually felt optimistic about tomorrow.

Maybe for once, things would go right for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter took a surprisingly long time to write? but it was fun and i hope you guys like it!!
> 
> p.s. in case you didnt catch it, i am tallster/turn trash
> 
> (also yes the first chapter end notes are still posting, i dont know why)

**Author's Note:**

> french translations for those who want to know!
> 
> Je suis tellement excitée de vous rencontrer enfin Alex ! Alors Je te appeler Alex ? Vous allez adorer ici ! Martha et George sont si gentils et nous tous nous entendre très bien ! Vous pouvez rencontrer mes amis aussi! Ils vont adorer ! vous, je ne peux pas attendre - "
> 
> translation -   
> I am so excited to finally meet you Alex ! CAn I call you Alex ? You 'll love it here ! Martha and George are so nice and we all get along very well ! You can meet my friends too! They will love you, I can not wait - "
> 
> Il est agréable de vous rencontrer aussi Lafayette ; et oui , vous pouvez me appeler Alex . J'espère aime vivre ici aussi , ainsi que pour répondre à vos amis.”
> 
> translation - It's nice to meet you too Lafayette ; and yes, you can call me Alex . I hope like living here as well as to meet your friends. "
> 
> ill try to update every week!


End file.
